String of Lights
by Tortured Remorse
Summary: /The Sequel to The Answer/  Mark Fitzgerald's plan enters it's most daring stage. Can he steal Clare Edwards away for good?
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

"You did a terrible thing, you know."

_No one panic but from this moment on, the school is in lock down._

Sitting across from Principal Simpson, Mark Fitzgerald lowered his head. "Yes. I was terribly, terribly wrong." He kept his gaze on the floor. "I know that an apology won't undo the damage that I did."

"However," Interjected the voice to Mark's right, "Mark has done substantial work for the church and has proven himself to be truly sorry for his actions. He has asked for forgiveness from those that he tried to harm. He has begged, in prayer, for the forgiveness of the school board. He does not desire to look elsewhere to complete his high school education."

"So I've read." Mr. Simpson said, reviewing once again Father Greg's letter of recommendation. "It shows here that he's shown considerable remorse."

"And still the school board insists on not letting him back?" Father Greg said calmly. "This year, he should be a Senior. Getting ready to embrace the next stage of his life. Instead, he works part time at The Dot and spends his other free time at the church. He should be in _school_, Mr. Simpson. He has promised me that he would do whatever it takes as long as he could get back into Degrassi."

Fitz finally looked up from the floor, daring not to speak. Father Greg was his greatest advocate. There was nothing that he could say that would sway Mr. Simpson's low opinion of him. Father Greg was the only one who might be able to convince Mr. Simpson to let him back.

It had worked well with Spinner Mason, after all. Why couldn't it work for him?

"Or am I lead to believe that the school does not believe in forgiveness?" Father Greg persisted relentlessly. "I seem to remember..."

"All right, that's enough." Mr. Simpson said, holding up a hand. "I will take it into consideration to allow Mark to return." Fitz began to smile but Mr. Simpson's piercing glare stopped it from going any farther. "He first must sign up for summer school to finish the classes that he has missed."

Fitz looked over to Father Greg at last. He didn't have enough money to support himself through an entire year of summer school. Neither did his parents. His only hope was Father Greg and the church.

"And he will do that as soon as possible, I assure you." Father Greg replied with a smile, patting Fitz's knee kindly. "We thank you for taking the time to see us, Mr. Simpson."

As Father Greg stood, so did Fitz. He inclined his head and muttered his complete and utter thanks for the opportunity to think about re-admission. It hadn't even been an option for months. It was never even going to be a consideration. At least, that's what Father Greg had told him after telling him of his problems and what he had done at Degrassi. As they walked down the halls, Fitz could not help but smile.

"Thank you." Fitz said finally. "I just don't know what else to say."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." Father Greg said softly. "Summer school is still only half the battle."

"I can manage the summer school." Fitz replied earnestly. "But you're right. I shall continue to pray for the Lord's guidance and aid in getting back to school."

"So shall I." Father Greg said, holding the door open. "Do you need a ride to work or would you like me to drive you?"

"I'll walk." Fitz said, going through the door. "You've already done so much for me. I can't ask for anything else today."

"Don't think anything of it." Father Greg said, waving goodbye as he walked down the steps. "Have a good day at work."

"Thank you!" Fitz called, smiling and walking in the opposite direction. He had smile that lasted for the nest few blocks. Once he was nearer to The Dot, it began to fade away slowly for some reason that he couldn't fathom.

As he rounded the corner, he found out why.

Standing there, arms folded across her chest and in the way of any clear exit...

Was Clare Edwards.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"Clare..."

Her name barely escaped his lips and he already regretted it. It had been some time since he had last seen Clare. The last time that he had seen her she had been angry. She had been hurt. She had told him, as he had run down her street, that she hated him for what he had done. Her now ex-boyfriend, Eli Goldsworthy, had managed to convince her of the truth of his actions. That he had molded this personality in order to get into her pants.

His plan had worked.

And that was why Clare loathed him. Her gaze was seething and Fitz thought, just for a moment, that she was trying to kill him with her eyes. If looks could kill, he would have been dead a long time now. _Even after I'm dead, _Fitz thought to himself darkly, _She would still wish harm upon my corpse. _Shaking that thought from his mind, he risked looking into her eyes.

"Don't you _dare _say one word." Clare said, her voice complete ice. "I know what you are trying to do. I know that school is not even in session but I'm on my way right now to go talk to Mr. Simpson."

He needn't ask but he did, regardless. "Why?"

"Because I saw you bring Father Greg with you to talk to him." Clare retorted. "I know why you brought him here. You brought him there to aid in your case because up until that point, Mr. Simpson had no sympathy for you."

Fitz managed to hold her gaze. "I want to go back to Degrassi, Clare." He explained, making no sudden movements as if Clare might pounce on him. "I've told you that I was sorry and you forgave me. Father Greg is a trustworthy man. Mr. Simpson needs to know that I am sorry."

"He also needs to know how you manipulated me into having sex with you." Clare said. "I'm sure Mr. Simpson hasn't forgotten about Darcy and her rape." Fitz could tell that Clare was clearly in control of her emotions and was using them as a weapon against him. He didn't know where she had managed to get such control but that didn't matter now. "If he remembers Spinner being readmitted, surely he has not forgotten that, either."

"And is this your revenge, Clare?" Fitz asked quietly. "Is this how a true Christian acts? Forgiveness..."

"I stopped being a true Christian when you stole my virginity from me." Clare said with finality. "I _believed _you. I _forgave _you. And you _used _me. I will never forgive you for that."

Try as he might to try and dismiss her words as nothing, they stung. Even after two months of not seeing Clare at all, she held such resentment. By the sounds of it, she wasn't going to let it go any time soon either. "Spinner gained forgiveness." He recalled as she started to walk away. "It took some time but he earned it."

His answer was her back as she walked away and disappeared around the corner.

"Never is a long time" Fitz said to himself. "And I only have one more year.." He allowed the sentence to trail off and decided not to finish the thought. With a nod, he turned and walked into The Dot before he was late for work.

* * *

><p>As Eli Goldsworthy sat on his bed, listening to his Ipod, his thoughts began to drift. He hadn't allowed them to slip for some time but the song that he was listening to reminded him of someone he was trying desperately to forget. He closed his eyes as the memory of leaving her on her steps flooded back to him. Her sobs that broke his already wounded heart to smithereens. He had to do it. He had to leave her. There was just no way that he could forgive her for what she had done.<p>

"Oh, Clare..."

His voice trembled as he said her name. It had been the first time in two months that he had uttered her name. Her name now joined Julia's on the list of names that caused him an almost physical pain. He clutched at his shirt as his heart ached. He needed to think of something else.

Anything else.

But he couldn't. It took him some time before he realised why she refused to leave his thoughts.

He actually _missed _her.

He shook his head. No. No, that can't be. He hadn't missed her in the two months that he hadn't seen her. He hadn't missed her. She... she wasn't his angel any more. She wasn't the same person that he had fallen so dangerously in love with. Missing her? That wasn't it.

Nonetheless, he couldn't quite convince himself that he didn't miss her. No matter how hard he tried.

His phone vibrated and he was happy for the distraction until he learned who had sent him a text.

_Clare..._

He felt like he had stared at the screen as if it lied to him. He didn't know whether he should open it or not. He had the sicking feeling that if he did, he would only regret it.

He opened it regardless.

_I miss you... Please. Can we talk?_

If it had been two months ago, he might have sent a reply that there was nothing for them to talk about. That there was nothing for them to talk about. Ever. They were finished. Over.

But she had caught him at this moment. This moment that seemed to defy reality where he actually missed her. Missed everything about her.

He sent a simple one-word reply.

_Yes._

He didn't wait long at all for her reply.

_Can I come over?_

He sent her another yes.

She didn't reply right away and he assumed that she must be on her way. He got up and turned his Ipod off. He left his room and ignored his parents as if they didn't exist. He opened the front door.

She was already there; hand raised that she was about to knock on the door.

Before he could say anything, she threw herself on him and sobbed. No hello. No greeting. Just an unbelievably tight embrace and tears.

The ice that had developed on his heart melted and he wrapped his arms around her. Trying to comfort her. "You wanted to talk?" He whispered into her ear. He didn't like this. A hug was too much for right now.

She continued to sob, finally detaching herself from his shoulder. She reached up with one shaking hand and cupped his cheek. "I've missed you so much..."

His throat tightened and he felt like he had lost his command of his vocabulary. He managed a nod, his eyes looking down.

"Have... have you missed me?"

"I... was just thinking about you." He admitted and instantly regretted it. Clare's eyes had widened and he could see the hope that had just blossomed.

Her lips tugged into a smile, she reached out to touch his cheek again.

He caught her arm.

"I haven't thought about you for a long time." He said, trying to fill his voice with ice. "Today was a moment of weakness."

Her arm fell and he was reminded of two months ago, when he had done a similar gesture and left her. Surely this would not need to happen twice. _Please, Clare. _Eli begged mentally. _Get to the point and go away. _

Her lips had pursed into a tight line as if she was trying to keep them from trembling. Although her facial expression suggested she was trying not to cry, her eyes betrayed her. New tears spilled from her eyes onto her cheeks.

After a long silence, she finally broke. "You still hate me. Don't you?" More tears. "Well, Eli, guess what. I hate _myself _for what I did! I thought... I thought you loved me!" With each word, her voice raised and became more and more unstable. "I thought that if I gave you _time _you would forgive me! I should've known better!"

Eli found that he couldn't speak. Even a thought process was beyond him right now.

"All this hatred is directed at _me_." Clare said, backing away. "Fitz is the one who _used _me! Why aren't you mad at him!"

"I AM MAD AT HIM!" Eli bellowed at last. "IF YOU REMEMBER, I WAS THE ONE WARNING YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM! YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME!" His hands had curled into fists and he had taken an involuntary step forward.

Clare flinched as if she had been stung. Fresh tears poured from her eyes and she began to tremble slightly. "You're right, Eli... You were right, okay?" Her voice was barely a whisper now. "Please... please forgive me... I'm sorry..."

He looked away. He thought about going back inside and forgetting that he had ever answered her text. Forgetting that he had ever known her at all. He could feel his lips begin to contort into an angry scowl. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Clare take a step forward, reaching for his cheek again.

He took another step backward.

Clare chocked on a sob before whispering, "I wanted to give it to you."

And with that, she took her bike and jogged as fast as she could away from him.

It was a long time before he finally went back inside.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Later on that night, Eli just couldn't go to sleep.

He had even taken pills. He had become _that _desperate.

In the end, he was still lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Clare's final words to him haunting him like a ghost. _I wanted to give it to you. I wanted to give it to you. I wanted to give it to you. _

He took a deep, calming breath. Repeating her words over in his head weren't going to make the pain disappear. As a matter of fact, the mere thought of Clare caused his heart to ache. Why he was even thinking about her was beyond him. He had been doing so well. Until a relapse and she had shown up at his front door with that admission that must have been eating at her after all this time.

_I could have lived without knowing that. _Eli thought to himself grimly. No. Not thought. He had been trying to convince him that he could have lived without knowing. When, in reality, it was killing him.

_Fitz is the one who used me! Why don't you hate him?_

He closed his eyes as Clare's voice once again rang through his head. He did hate Fitz. He had done more damage at Vegas Night than he could have ever dreamed possible. That day, Eli realized sadly, was the actual day he took Clare away from him. All of that time in between was him trying to be ignorant of the fact.

And now, as Eli mulled it over, Fitz took one last thing from him. Something that was more important than anything in the world. Something Clare could never take back and give to the person she had actually _wanted _to give it to.

His hands tightened into fists as his vision swam. "Damn it, Fitz... Damn it!"

The pain in his chest demanded motion. He stood up and paced his room like a caged animal. No matter how many times he tried, he just couldn't banish the pain. He wanted to claw at his chest. Anything to end it. He squeezed his eyes shut and the tears spilled unchecked.

_Why did you believe him, Clare? Why didn't you listen to me? I was trying to protect you._

_But you didn't listen to me. _

_And now you have to deal with it. _

He kept his eyes closed and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The call came early in the morning.<p>

Groggy and half-asleep, Fitz reached out to his cell phone and answered it; sounding as alert as he could. "Hello?"

"Mark." It was Father Greg. "I've got some news for you, my boy."

Fitz sat up. He threw his covers off and swung his legs to the floor. "Have you heard from Mr. Simpson?" He asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"I have indeed." Father Greg's demeanor was hard to read and Fitz didn't know if he had good news or bad news.

"And?" Fitz prompted softly.

"They've decided to give you another chance."

To Fitz, the words had been spoken but didn't seem real. Surely this was a dream. He would wake up in another five minutes and know that this was just a cruel joke. He would never be allowed back into Degrassi after what he had done. Clare had said so herself. This _had _to be a dream.

"This isn't a dream, right?"

"My boy, God has forgiven you. That forgiveness has shown through to Mr. Simpson." There was a short pause before Father Greg spoke again, "Welcome back to Degrassi, Mark."

And hung up the phone without another word.

For the longest time, Fitz just stared at the floor. His ruse had worked. Really, it had worked; it had worked on Clare. It even worked on Mr. Simpson.

Fitz lay back on his bed.

And laughed...


End file.
